Downtown Bozeman hopping with new business

By BRITTANY HORTON/Montana State News

Three new hotels being built and opened in 2015 came earlier this week via the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. They will be added to a flurry of new restaurant activity in the bustling downtown area.

Etha, a 102-room boutique hotel, will be built on top of the National Guard Armory, The Element Bozeman, a 104-room hotel, will line Mendenhall Street and Lark Motel will take the site of the former Imperial Inn. All three hotels are offering dining services in their business, and question about how this will affect newly opened restaurants in the downtown area has begun.

Open Range, Fin, Copper Whiskey Bar and 14 North are just a few of the restaurants that have opened their doors in downtown Bozeman in the last 18 months.

These new hotel restaurants could bring in further competition to Main Street, which already, like all new restaurants, has a surprising failure rate of 60 percent according to the Small Business Administration and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue reading “Downtown Bozeman hopping with new business” →

April 29, 2014 0

Medieval ways dominate a student’s life

By JON-PAUL GALEAS/Montana State News

“Chivalry, courtesy, honor and graciousness are all too often forgotten in our ‘modern’ world. Growing up in the SCA instilled these values in me at such a young age with a group of people who felt the same way. They are my family,” said Sarah Cochran about life in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Cochran grew up in Helena and at the age of 3 was raised in a household who loved the SCA. “My mom started taking me to the events and read me books about pre 17^th century history. I made great friends back then who are best friends of mine now,” Cochran said.

Cochran is an avid reader of classical literature. She says she loves Shakespeare and loves to read books about classical styles of rapier

“When I started growing up and went to more SCA events I became crazy interested in rapier combat, it’s basically the pre-cursor to fencing. So when I got older I started to train and read up on how it used to be fought,” Cochran said.

Upon joining the SCA, members have a variety of activities to choose from. They can brew your own beer or wine, make your own “garb” (medieval clothing), learn to cook medieval recipes, practice archery or any of a hundred other things that were an everyday part of life in the Middle Ages. You can become a fighter (using a shield, rattan sword and real armor) or duel with rapier. Continue reading “Medieval ways dominate a student’s life” →

April 29, 2014 0

City OKs East Story Street repairs

By SCOTT PHELAN/Montana State News

Residents living on Story Street between South Church Avenue and South Tracy Avenue may have perked up last night at the Bozeman City Commission meeting when plans to fix the street were approved.

“The street is almost down to gravel, and we can’t fix it with seals and minor repairs any longer,” said Rick Hixson, city engineer.

Hixson went on to describe the exact details of the project, which will begin this summer. “The general character of the improvements consists of roadway improvements, including repaving the road, replacement of curbing, installation of storm drainage improvements, and street lighting conduits.”

While the proposed resolution is only the first in many steps needed prior to actual construction beginning, Hixson wanted to be clear how the costs would be assessed and what they would cost. Continue reading “City OKs East Story Street repairs” →

April 12, 2014 0

Reverend speaks in favor of NDO

By HANNAH BALLANTYNE/Montana State News

Rev. Roxanne Klingensmith from the Episcopal Diocese, spoke in support of the Non-discrimination ordinance at Monday’s Bozeman City Commission meeting.

“I have lived in this town almost 33 years, and not once have I seen us not embrace diversity,” said Klingensmith.

“When there have been attempts not to embrace diversity, the town has rallied and made sure we bring that matter home.” Continue reading “Reverend speaks in favor of NDO” →

April 12, 2014 0

Commission OKs funding for sports complex

By CLARK MOORMAN and DANIELLE MARTIN/Montana State News

The Bozeman City Commission unanimously approved Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOP) bond funding for a $7.5 million, 10-field., multi-use sports complex at last Monday’s weekly meeting.

However, the proposal was only approved after amendments were approved. The most major of these amendments states that developers who build across from the park on Cottonwood Rd must contribute to a fund for Cottonwood Rd maintenance.

There has been controversy as to whether or not spending such a large portion of TOP’s $15 million in funds on such a facility is what the public had in mind when they voted for the bond in 2012.

On Monday night, City Hall was filled with citizens eager to voice their opinion on the matter. During the public comment section of the meeting, the majority of citizen comments were about the proposal, with the overwhelming majority of citizens speaking in favor of the proposal.

In addition, TOP Program Manager Jeff Graff shared that of the 112 public posted comments on the proposal’s website, the “overwhelming majority” were in favor of passing the proposal. Continue reading “Commission OKs funding for sports complex” →

April 12, 2014 0

Watercourse has kids doing adult science

By DANIELLE MARTIN/Montana State News

Stephanie McGinnis has a large, faded blue folder on her desk. It is held together with a rubber band and stuffed with an assortment of papers, CDs and packets.

Students in the Swan Valley take water samples for a Montana Watercourse project (photo courtesy of Diann Ericson.

As insignificant as it looks, this folder represents ten years of water quality data for the Swan Valley, one of the largest and most continuous collections in the state. Even more interesting, the data was collected entirely by elementary and middle school students.

McGinnis is the education and outreach coordinator for Montana Watercourse in Bozeman. This grant-funded nonprofit coordinates the Volunteer Water Monitoring program (VWM), a program that trains participants to routinely perform water quality testing in their area. According to the training manual, this is so that “they may make informed decisions regarding local water quality issues.”

“It’s really important for these young students to get out there and collect the data, [and to] understand what water quality is, [and] why water quality is important,” said McGinnis. Continue reading “Watercourse has kids doing adult science” →

April 6, 2014 1

Equal pay icon stirs MSU crowd

By MORGAN SOLOMON/Montana State News

On Monday night Lilly Ledbetter spoke to a ballroom full of awe-stricken women speckled with men at Montana State University on her struggles and the accomplishments she has made in her effort to give women the same pay as men.

When Lilly Ledbetter was 40 years old, she got an anonymous letter on her desk at Goodyear Tire & Rubber that she was receiving thousands of dollars less per year than her male colleagues for doing the same type of work. After several years fighting a discrimination case against Goodyear, the Supreme Court reversed the decision made by the federal court to award her $3.8 million.

“I was devastated. It wasn’t about the money. I thought about letting it go, but I couldn’t, it just wasn’t me,” said Ledbetter. Continue reading “Equal pay icon stirs MSU crowd” →

April 6, 2014 0

Fish named new MSU men’s basketball coach

By JACQUELINE BLACKWOOD/Montana State News

Brian Fish has been hired as the new head coach of Montana State University men’s basketball program. Fish is leaving the University of Oregon after a 15-year long partnership with coach Dana Altman to become the 22^nd head coach in Bobcat history.

The search for a new head coach began shortly after former head coach, Brad Huse, resigned from his position after eight seasons with the Bobcats. In regards to finding a replacement for head coach, MSU Director of Athletics Peter Fields said, “hiring the right person is the most important factor.”

Fish is expected to be that right person because of his experience both playing and coaching basketball. Fish played at Western Kentucky University from 1984-1986 and transferred to Marshall where he played from 1987-1989.

After earning a BA in sports management, Fish began working with Altman at Oregon, Creighton and Marshall. From this experience he “learned the business the right way, with integrity yet being able to win a lot of games,” Fish said. Continue reading “Fish named new MSU men’s basketball coach” →

April 6, 2014 0

MSU’s NanoDays like science-tech playground

By SABRINA HAYES/Montana State News

Walking into the fifth annual NanoDays at MSU was like walking into a playground of science and technology. Jamie Cornish, science outreach specialist at MSU, said, “The purpose of this event is to help the children understand nanoscience in a fun and easy-to-understand format. It’s important for children to be exposed to science in informal learning contexts and to be able to interact with local science mentors.”

Like a science fair, students and teachers worked together to teach and learn about different areas and activities and applications for nanotechnologies.

According to the Nanoscience Informal Science Education Network, the founders and national organizers of NanoDays, the event strives to reach diverse audiences, especially those who would not usually get easy access to the information.

“At MSU, researchers are using nanoscience to develop targeted vaccines, magnetic materials for electronics, and catalysts for producing hydrogen,” said Cornish. Continue reading “MSU’s NanoDays like science-tech playground” →

April 6, 2014 0

MSU program aimed at increasing neighborliness

By SCOTT PHELAN/Montana State News

According to a Montana State University News release, “A team of volunteers will deliver ‘good neighbor bags’ on behalf of the Good Neighbor Committee on Saturday, April 5.”

“The campaign will drop 400 bags on doorsteps near Westridge Meadows in Bozeman,” according to Chelsea Schmidt the director of the Good Neighbor Committee.

Westridge Meadows is located near the area for the planned controversial building of a new student housing apartment complex.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported that the new housing project, “got an enthusiastic thumbs up from the Bozeman City Commission on Monday, Feb. 3.”

Schmidt commented that the location of this month’s “good neighbor bags” has nothing to do with the new apartment complex. She went on to say, “This area has been on our list for awhile.” Continue reading “MSU program aimed at increasing neighborliness” →

April 6, 2014 0